


Who invited demons to the picnic?

by bri_ghtly



Category: The Last Hours Series - Cassandra Clare, The Shadowhunter Chronicles - Cassandra Clare
Genre: Caring, First Kiss, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Near Death Experiences, alastair carstairs - Freeform, mild chain of gold spoilers, soft, this is set after chain of gold, thomas lightwood - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-11
Updated: 2020-07-11
Packaged: 2021-03-04 19:49:04
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25201966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bri_ghtly/pseuds/bri_ghtly
Summary: Picnics and demons don’t mix but it seems like the demons haven't really got that memo.When demons attack the merry thieves and their picnic companions, some come out of it a little worse for wear.
Relationships: Alastair Carstairs/Thomas Lightwood
Comments: 6
Kudos: 136





	Who invited demons to the picnic?

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone!!  
> I hope you like this little fic I did.  
> This is set after Chain of Gold ends so there's very mild spoilers for CoG if anyone hasn't read it.  
> Enjoy all the thomastair feels.

Alastair thrusts his spear forward, driving the point into the Canisquam demon’s eye. The creature lets out a shriek, trying to get away but only manages to impale itself further on the spear. The demon disappears in a puff after a moment leaving Alastair’s spear hovering in air, he looks around wildly, the noise of battle around him, his eye’s seeking out Cordelia. He knew something horrible would happen when she dragged him along to another picnic but he’d known he’d rather be around a group of people who hated him (except maybe his sister) then his drunk father.

The reproach on Matthew, James and Christopher’s face when Alastair had arrived trailing behind Cordelia had made Alastair shrink in on himself, he hadn’t even been able to look over at Thomas. Along with the disdain, the group had all been on edge, after what happened at the last picnic the only one who seemed not to notice the tension in the air was Lucie who was chatting away with Cordelia.

The group had gathered in a large pavilion for lunch, sandwiches and tea cakes spread out in front of them. Alastair was leaning against a pole away from the group when he noticed a dark figure charging towards the pavilion in the distance.

Alastair swore quietly and reached into his jacket to grab his retracted spear.

“Layla.” He’d said worriedly when the figure had gotten closer, it’s pace not slowing, he could make out what looked like a really large dog-like shape, a spiked tail waving behind it. He looked over to the group but they hadn’t seemed to hear him, Cordelia’s eye’s were looking between James and Lucie laughing at something the siblings had said. Only Thomas was looking at him and Alastair looked away quickly trying not to think about the slight look of worry he’d noticed in Thomas’s eyes.

“Layla.” He said again louder when the demon didn’t slow.

He saw her look over to him out the corner of his eye but his eyes were locked on the demon as he hurled his spear at it, hitting it between it’s eyes. It fell to the ground a few meters from the pavilion and disappeared, Alastair ran out to retrieve his spear crouching low as he looked around for other demons as he moved slowly back to the pavilion.

The group was standing now, weapons drawn, Cortana glinting in Cordelia’s hand.

There was a moment of silence before demons appeared, surrounding the pavilion, seeming to appear from nowhere. He heard someone swear behind him.

Alastair moved towards Cordelia when one of the demons suddenly hurtled towards them, jumping the small half-wall that encased the pavilion and landing in-front of Alastair.

After he’d finished spearing the demon through the eye he’d tried to seek out Cordelia through the chaos. The other demons had entered the pavilion and everyone seemed to be engaged with them, James and Matthew fighting back to back. Christopher throwing what looked like a small ball that landed against a demon and exploded into flames, engulfing the demon. Lucie was beside Cordelia and they were fighting one of the creatures, Cordelia’s eye’s flashing in determination as she swung Cortana towards the Canisquam.

Then his eye’s found Thomas, backed into a corner of the pavilion, leaning against the corner on the ground, there was a demon in front of him snarling, boxing him in. Thomas’s bolas were laying out of reach next to the demon. Thomas’s eyes were flashing around the area around him searching for something to use against the demon.

Alastair was running before he could even think about it, sprinting toward Thomas and the demon, with his spear in hand. He came up behind them and using the momentum from running flung himself onto the floor on his back, sliding between the back legs of the demon, he skidded under the demon, his jacket and shirt tearing as he moved across the rough ground.

When he’d stopped moving, laying directly under where the demon likely had a rib cage, he thrust his spear up, it was an awkward move but he managed to get enough power into the thrust that the spear pierced the demon and worked its way into the Canisquam. Ichor spilled from the wound in the demon, soaking Alastair’s hands and neck where his skin was exposed, he grunted at the stinging burn of it. He felt something pierce his calf and cried out as pain laced up his leg, the tail, he thought. He drove the spear up further and the demon let out one final roar before disappearing from above Alastair.

His hands, holding the spear, fell to his side and his spear rolled from his grip. His calf had gone numb and his thigh was burning as pins and needles worked their way up his leg. His whole body was thrumming with pain and when he tried to move his arm his fingers only gave a useless wiggle.

He closed his eye’s trying to calm his breathing, if he died now, he probably deserved it. He’d caused so much pain to others, Matthew and Thomas, even Charles.

He felt hands reach under his arm pits and haul him back, he opened his eye’s but could only see the battle around him, there were only a few demons left and everyone else seemed to be fine, Cordelia looked fierce wielding Cortana, he was glad she was okay. He winched and hissed as his back was rested against what he supposed was the corner of the pavilion.

“Sorry, sorry, I’m sorry.”

He opened his eye’s again to see Thomas kneeling at his side.

He watched as Thomas pushed up his sleeve, trying his best to avoid the ichor covering Alastair and started drawing an iratze, he didn’t feel a thing as the stele dragged against his forearm, the numbness had worked its way up from his leg to his side and now his arm.

He looked up at Thomas’s face, he was looking down in concentration as he finished the iratze. He’d always been so handsome, even small and gangly at the Academy. When Alastair had seen him in Paris he almost didn’t recognize Thomas, the man in front of him had been tall, filled out with muscles but his eye’s had been the same, their steady gaze sweeping his surroundings.

Those eye’s came up to meet his now and Alastair felt a breath lose from his chest. Thomas’s eye’s were filled with worry and something else, a hopeless sort of look.

Thomas looked back down to Alastair’s arm a small cry coming from him, the iratze had disappeared from Alastair’s skin, the caramel skin was smooth and bare against Thomas’s pale hands.

“It’s alright.” He said, he had to strain to speak, he couldn’t feel his abdomen now.

Thomas looked back up to him, he was shaking his head and Alastair was surprised to see tears in his eye’s.

“It’s ok Thomas.” He wished he could move his hand up to cup Thomas’s face but he felt numb all over, “Just tell Matthew I’m sorry and-“ he coughed and felt blood fill his mouth, some of it trickling out of his mouth.

He watched a tear fall from Thomas’s eye “and thank you, thank you for Paris.”

He didn’t get to see what happened next. His eye’s closed against his will and he felt unconsciousness drag him down.

“KIT!” Thomas screamed. Alastair had gone limp against the wall, Thomas looked behind him just as the final demon disappeared out of the air at a thrust from James’s blade. Christopher was hurrying over to Thomas, a slight limp in his walk.

Thomas could feel tears rolling down his face but couldn’t move his hand from where it was clutching at Alastair’s to wipe them away. He couldn’t lose another, not so soon after Barbara.

“Thomas, Tom, what’s wrong? Are you hurt?” Kit’s eye’s seemed to take in what was happening then, he looked over to where Alastair was slumped over.

“By the Angel, is he, is he dead?” Christopher said, he knew Kit didn’t mean to hurt him but it sent a crashing wave of panic over Thomas and his hands gripped at Alastair tighter.

Thomas shook his head quickly, he could still feel warmth coming from Alastair’s hand and a faint pulse in his wrist.

“Kit, I need you to get a message to the Silent Brother’s. We need them to help.”

Christopher looked skeptical, gazing down at Alastair but nodded and set to work, pulling things from his pockets that made no sense to Thomas. If anyone could get a message quickly to the Silent Brothers, it was Kit.

“Oh God, Alastair!” He heard the cry come from behind him and looked as Cordelia rushed towards them, dropping Cortana on the floor behind her as she hurried over.

She knelt down on the other side of Alastair and took his other hand, winching slightly as the ichor on his skin touched her bare hands. She pulled out her stele, Thomas was going to say something but he had hope maybe Alastair’s sister would get the iratze to work.

He watched her face fall as the iratze fell into Alastair’s skin, and a sob racked her.

“Kit’s getting the Silent Brother’s,” Thomas said, his voice was rough, as if he’d been screaming for hours, “we have to get him to the Institute.” She nodded but the distraught look hadn’t left her face.

The other’s had come over now, making a semi-circle around them.

“What’s wrong with him?” Lucie asked, she looked worried, even if she hadn’t cared for Alastair she was to be Cordelia’s parabatai and was most likely worried for her sake.

“It looks like one of the demons got him with its tail.” Christopher said, pointing down to Alastair’s leg.

Thomas hadn’t noticed the leg wound before and he looked down, there was a long cut down Alastair’s calf, black blood bubbling in it. Thomas wanted to be sick.

“I’ve sent a message to the Silent Brothers, they’ll be able to help him at the Institute.”

James looked somber and even Matthew who had despised Alastair was looking down with concern.

Thomas moved, releasing Alastair’s hand, he worked an arm under Alastair’s leg and moved the other one under Alastair’s back, he felt blood immediately seep into his thin white shirt.

He stood up, lifting Alastair up easily into his arms, his body was warm but his head lolled back and his arms dangled uselessly.

Thomas started moving quickly from the pavilion and gardens towards the carriages hearing the others following him, silent, it might have been one of the few time’s he’d heard Matthew be quiet.

They managed to get to the Institute quickly, the carriage weaving in and out of traffic and jolting everyone inside. Alastair was laying on one of the seats his head in Thomas’s lap and his feet in Cordelia’s. He was short enough that his body could lay flat between them.

She was clutching a blanket to Alastair’s wound trying to stop some of the bleeding and whispering soft reassurances.

Thomas couldn’t focus, he’d thought he was going to die in that pavilion when the demon had cornered him he hadn’t even known what had happened when it disappeared. He’d looked down only to see Alastair laying on the ground, under where the demon had been, covered in ichor and red blood pooling around his back.

He’d felt panic like he’d never felt before. Alastair couldn’t die. Even after everything Alastair had done, Thomas couldn’t have Alastair die.

“Thomas.” He heard James say his name, it didn’t sound like the first time he’d tried to get Thomas’s attention, James was sitting across from him with Lucie and Matthew, Christopher was up the front driving the carriage. “We have to get him into the Institute.”

Thomas nodded, noticing the carriage had stopped and moved to pull Alastair back into his arms.

“Do you need help?” He looked quickly at Matthew, surprised he’d offered.

Thomas shook his head and quickly got out of the carriage, noticing the Silent Brother’s carriage was already in the courtyard he quickly moved to the Institute.

Will and Tessa were standing at the doors, Tessa put a hand to her mouth and grabbed onto Will’s arm when she saw Thomas holding the limp figure.

Will hurried down the steps, Tessa letting go of his arm as he moved quickly down the steps towards them.

“Here Thomas let me help.” Will said when he reached them, his face was stricken as he looked down at Alastair. Will reached down and drew Alastair’s arm around his shoulder, Thomas quickly did the same with Alastair’s other arm and they dragged Alastair up the steps and into the Institute together. Tessa and everyone else following behind them.

“Is everyone else ok?” Will asked as they hurried towards the infirmary.

Thomas was glad when Matthew answered for them, reassuring Will that everyone was fine.

They were walking down a hallway when the door to an office opened.

“Herondale, you can’t just walk out of a meeting halfway throu-“ Charles stopped when he saw they were dragging Alastair down the hallway, his head drooped uselessly against his chest. Charles’s mouth fell open and his face went white, contrasting with his red hair.

He quickly moved toward them, “Let me help.”

“Stay away from him.” Thomas turned his head in shock to Cordelia, who had practically spat the words at Charles.

Charles looked at her reproachfully but fell back and out of their way as they moved past.

When they got to the infirmary Thomas had barely opened the door when he heard the voice inside his head.

_Quick, put him on the bed._

He doesn’t think he’s ever known Silent Brothers to be worried or hurried, in fact he doesn’t think he remembers much feeling from Silent Brothers at all. But Brother Zachariah was in the infirmary his face giving nothing away but Thomas could see his fingers twitching by his side as he urged them towards the bed.

Will and Thomas gently rested Alastair on the bed and Thomas moved back from the bed as Brother Zachariah moved towards Alastair.

Thomas sunk to his knees as if someone were pushing against his shoulders, he looked down at his arm, he could see the dark outline of his tattoo through the fabric turned transparent with Alastair’s blood.

He felt tears well in his eyes again and then there was an arm coming around his shoulders and someone kneeling beside him, drawing him down until his head rested against their shoulder.

“It’s alright.” Will said, the others hadn’t been allowed in the room, Brother Zachariah baring them as they’d dragged Alastair through the door.

“I can’t lose another one,” Thomas said, his voice cracking with emotion, “not after Barbara.”

 _Thomas_ he heard the voice echo in his head _I will take good care of him. Let Will take you outside, you can see him after I’ve helped him._

He felt Will stand next to him and Thomas slowly got to his feet following Will out of the room. Will looked behind them as he left the room, a tender look on his face as he closed the door behind them.

Everyone was waiting in the hallway, Cordelia was sandwiched between James and Lucie, James had his arm around her, a hand resting on her waist, the picture of caring fiancé, Cordelia had silent tears falling from her eyes.

“He’s going to be alright.” Will reassured them. “Everyone go get cleaned up, Jem will let us know if anything changes. Go clean yourself up”

James used the arm around Cordelia to steer her away from the door.

“Come on Daisy.” He said softly and she turned into him resting her head on his shoulder and leaning on him as he walked her down the hallway the rest of the group moving off behind them.

Thomas had used one of the spare rooms to draw himself a bath, the water had turned a light pink after he’s gotten in and the blood washed off him.

He leaned his head back against the tub staring at the ceiling.

Everyone had quietly gone to their own rooms after leaving the hallway in front of the infirmary. He hadn’t looked at his friends as he walked to the room he often stayed in and no one had stopped him.

He was sure they were likely confused by his distress, he was sure they had questions or had made assumptions. He was not sure if he was grateful that they knew, or likely would know, his feelings but he figured they were all friendly enough with Anna for them to be accepting of this. Matthew might just question his taste.

He slowly got out of the bath only when the water had turned cold, getting dressed in a fresh set of clothes.

He’d been lying on his bed for a while, his brain too wired to focus on anything, when a knock came at his door.

“Come in.” He said and sat up on his bed, letting his legs swing over the side. It was Cordelia, her hair, which had been pinned up earlier, was out and falling in big red curls against her shoulders.

“Hi.” She said shutting the door behind her.

She came to sit on the bed next to him, her legs dangling over the edge.

“Have you heard anything?” Thomas asked.

Cordelia shook her head and brought a hand up to wipe at her eye’s, they were red rimmed and glossy.

“Thank you for helping him.” She said after a quiet moment. “I know he hurt you Thomas, you and Matthew and so many other’s but he trying to be better.” She reached out and rested a hand on his shoulder.

“He saved my life and now he might not eve-“ He couldn’t finish the sentence he just dropped his head and took a deep breath.

“You know, after that night where you told him,” Cordelia coughed and waved her hand, hinting at the harsh words Thomas had said to Alastair, “well, I saw him leave, he was crying.”

Thomas closed his eye’s tightly, he never liked hurting people.

“I know he was cruel but for what it’s worth, I think he cares for you.”

They were quiet for a long time after that, the room was stuffy with despair.

“Dinner should be ready.” Cordelia said reaching her hand out to Thomas who took it and squeezed as he stood and they walked to dinner together.

Thomas had made it through dinner in a haze, he remembers people asking him questions and talking around him but if someone asked him now what they’d said he’d have no clue.

He’d captured snippets of conversation, Brother Zachariah was still with Alastair, they aren’t sure how the demons had been able to attack during the day, Matthew, trying to lighten the mood, had mentioned a new red waistcoat he’d brought.

He knows Shadowhunter’s are meant to be able to bounce back from attacks, it’s a part of everyday life for them, people die all the time but in the privacy of his own room Thomas allows himself to pace and twist his hands together worriedly.

He can’t get it out of his head, he’d thought he’d been about to die, _was_ about to die and then the heart stopping moment the demon had disappeared only to reveal Alastair dying instead.

Thomas lets of a small noise at the thought, pausing his pacing to bring his hands up and fist them in his hair.

He knew he wouldn’t be able to stand still for the rest of the night, not until he knew that Alastair was ok, he couldn’t let himself think of the other possibility.

He pushes open the door to his room and starts silently moving down the hallway, towards the training room.

The room is quiet and empty when he reaches it, he doesn’t even pause to wrap his knuckles as he makes his way over to the punching bag.

It’s were he’d come after he’d found out about Barbara, he’d stayed hitting the bag until his knuckles were numb and bleeding and his hands and wrists were throbbing. He’d been trying to quieten his brain, forget the horrible news, make it less real but even after he’d exhausted himself that night he’d gone back to his room only to have the full force of Barbara’s death hit him until he’d been left gasping on the floor, curled in a ball with what seemed like unending tears streaming from his eyes.

He doesn’t hesitate as he reaches the punching bag, swinging his hand around and hitting it with all the strength he has left. His knuckles sting at the contact but he doesn’t pause before he’s hitting it again, letting the pain distract him as it did before.

He doesn’t know how long he’d been there when he heard the door creak open but there’s sweat dripping off his forehead and blood running down his fingers. He doesn’t turn to see who it is, just keeps punching, if he stops, he knows everything will catch up with him.

 _‘Thomas’_ he hears the voice in his head, knows who it is but he won’t turn around, he can’t find out someone else is dead.

He doesn’t hear Brother Zachariah move so he flinches when he feels a hand wrap around his shoulder and gently spin him around.

Looking at Brother Zachariah had never unnerved Thomas like the other Silent Brothers had, everyone knows that Brother Zachariah used to be Will’s parabatai and it had erased any intimidation Thomas had felt.

He looks up to the Silent Brother, his breathing heavy as he tries to get himself under control.

_‘He’s going to be ok’_

Thomas shakes his head, he’d heard that reassurance before only to find out that it was not going to be ok and his sister would be dead.

_‘I promise. I would not lie about this Thomas. You can go and see if you’d like. I will stay here to check on him in the morning but he will be fine.’_

Thomas doesn’t have it in him to nod, not until he sees Alastair breathing and warm.

Brother Zachariah moves silently out of the room, leaving the door open behind him and Thomas quickly follows him out, moving as quickly as he can to the infirmary without making a racquet and waking everyone in the Institute.

The smell of Ichor is still strong in the room when Thomas pushes the door open. Alastair is laying in the bed they’d settled him on, his shirt face and neck covered in demon blood.

Thomas hurries over to the bed, he see’s the blanket over Alastair’s chest rise and fall with a breath and he has to push his bloody fist into his mouth to quiet the sob he wants to let out at the sight.

He’s alive. The relief nearly leaves him staggering, he quickly reaches out for the bed trying to steady himself.

The demon blood that had soaked Alastair is still covering him, the top of his shirt front drenched in the stuff and Thomas is sure the rest of the shirt under the blanket is covered as well.

Thomas goes over to the fireplace in the room stoking it, the logs crumble away as he pokes at it until there’s a layer of glowing orange coals, he walks over to the tap and fills a pot up with water, placing it on the coals to warm up. He barely notices the pain in his hands, instead losing himself in the mind-numbing preparation.

When the waters been sitting on the coals for a while and there’s steam rising off of it Thomas grabs some cloths from the cupboard, using them so he doesn’t burn his hands as he lifts the pot off the fire and place’s it on the stone topped table next to Alastair’s bed. The cloths he’d been using are still clean so he puts them into the pot of water and turns back to Alastair.

He pulls the blanket that’s covering Alastair off of his shoulder’s resting it on his waist, he goes to start unbuttoning Alastair’s top but hesitates as a flutter of nerves hits his stomach, he quickly shakes himself out of it, he’s just doing this to help Alastair.

It doesn’t stop his fingers shaking as the tries to undo the button and he can’t help the blush that spreads over his cheeks when he finally gets the shirt undone and he’s suddenly staring down at Alastair’s bare torso. Thomas’s eye’s catch on the ridges of muscles and the dark runes covering his body.

Thomas realizes what he’s doing and scolds himself mentally, working quickly to get the shirt off Alastair’s arms and lifting him off the bed gently so he can slide it out from under Alastair, trying his best not to worsen the wounds on his back.

He drops the shirt on the ground once he’s gotten it off and quickly tests the water in the pot, when it doesn’t burn his fingers he grabs one of the cloths that’s floating in the water, ringing it out before sitting down on the bed opposite Alastair and setting to work cleaning Alastair’s skin.

The top had soaked up a lot of the blood but Alastair’s hands, neck and face are still covered. Thomas starts with the hands, the blood had hardened and crusted on Alastair’s skin and Thomas has to pass the cloth over each part of skin a few times before the blood finally clears away.

He tries not to think too much about what he’s doing as he’s doing it, he remembers in Paris seeing Alastair walk up to him in that museum. One of the first thing’s Thomas had noticed had been his hands, his thumbs had been hooked in his belt loops and he’d looked relaxed and the small smile he’d given Thomas had made him look happy.

When Thomas comes out of the memory he realizes the hand he’s holding is clean, he gently places it back on the bed and reaches over to softly lift the other hand across Alastair’s torso so he can clean it.

Once he’s finished the hands he grabs the other cloth from the pot, standing up so he can work on Alastair’s neck and face, he’s careful as he cleans down the length of Alastair’s neck making sure not to press to hard against his adam’s apple.

He pauses once the neck is clean, he’s almost scared to look up at Alastair’s face and not see it awake and expressive. He decides to start in parts, slowly cleaning the blood off Alastair’s chin, he works his way up to the cheeks, moving slowly trying not to focus too much. He washes the nose and forehead, he has to push the black hair that had been plastered to Alastair’s forehead out of the way as he works. Thomas’s lips quirk when he sees that only the very end of Alastair’s hair holds the blonde that he’d so regularly dyed it. Thomas had always thought Alastair was beautiful but with dark hair Alastair’s brown eyes turned almost golden.

He lightly wipes at Alastair’s closed eyes, watching blood unclump from his eyelashes and fall in pink streams down his cheeks. Thomas wipes it away quickly.

By the time he reaches down to clean Alastair’s lips he realizes he’s shaking and he almost doesn’t realize the noise in the room is coming from him, a soft whimpering. He reaches up to his face, surprised to find his cheeks wet with tears.

He closes his eye’s and takes a deep breath. He’d never thought he’d be here, touching Alastair, it was always a far away possibility. It didn’t stop him fantasizing about it, imagining being able to trace featherlight touches across Alastair’s beautiful skin, watch goosebumps rise as they had when Alastair’s fingers had brushed against his own forearm.

But here he is finally getting to touch the man he’d imagined touching for years and he can’t enjoy it, can’t watch as Alastair’s eye’s might flutter shut or his mouth would open around a soft gasp. Instead he’s cleaning blood from a near deadly fight that he’s the cause of.

He dips the cloth back into the water and rings it, watching the water turn a darker shade of pink before bringing it back and wiping the blood away from Alastair’s mouth, trying his best not to linger on the bow of his top lip or the fullness of the bottom.

Once he’s down he moves away, draining the pot in the sink and putting another piece of wood on the fire. He comes back to the bed pulling the blanket up so that it’s covering Alastair’s stomach and shoulders. He doesn’t think he could leave this room if he tried so he pulls one of the infirmary beds closer to Alastair’s until only a foot of space separates them and lays on it. He looks over to Alastair who’s breaths are coming slowly but Thomas thanks Raziel that they’re coming at all.

He reaches over slowly and grabs Alastair’s hand, fearing that it might wake or disturb him but Alastair’s eyes stay closed and his breath steady.

He doesn’t know how long he lays there staring, scared that if he closes his eyes Alastair’s chest will stop moving and his hand will go cold in Thomas’s grip.

He fights against sleep as his eyelids droop and his brain turns slow but it pulls him in inevitably, he squeezes Alastair’s hand a little bit tighter right before he nods off.

Alastair wakes up to a stabbing pain in his calf and a dull throb across the entirety of his back. He keeps his eye’s closed hoping that if he waits he’ll fall back asleep and not have to deal with the agony he’s feeling but then he notices a warmth in his hand and when he twitches his fingers he realizes that there’s a hand wrapped around his.

Too curious to see who can be bothered enough to hold his hand when he’s hurt he opens his eyes. He looks down to see the hand wrapped around his has split knuckles and deep purple bruises across pale fingers.

He looks up and starts to see eyes already looking over at him.

“Thomas.” He breaths out, watching Thomas’s eyes stutter close at the sound.

Alastair watches as a single tear slides from Thomas’s eye moving across his nose before dropping onto the bed. The hand gripping his squeezes a little tighter and Alastair tries his best to squeeze back but his body protests as he does.

Thomas’s eye’s stay closed and Alastair takes a minute just to look at him, there’s soft morning light filtering through the windows and Alastair would almost think that he was with Thomas in a dream if it weren’t for the full body throb that’s raking his body.

He tries to sit up after a while, hoping if he gets pressure off his back it will hurt less but Thomas’s eye’s fly open when he hears Alastair start moving and he quickly stands up.

“Hey, let me help ok?” Thomas voice is rough and low with disuse.

Alastair nods as Thomas hands reach out to help him up, it’s only when Thomas’s hand hits his shoulder that he realizes his top has been taken off and he’s been cleaned. He blushes but Thomas hasn’t said anything and doesn’t seem to mind as he steadies Alastair and reaches for the glass filled with water at the bedside table, bringing it up to Alastair’s mouth and helping him as he takes a sip.

Alastair sighs as the water works it’s way down his throat and Thomas moves the glass back to the table.

“I’m sorry Thomas,” the words come out of him in a rush worried that if he doesn’t say it now he’ll never be able to, “I’m sorry that I hurt you and your friend and I didn’t treat you well back at the acade-“

“Shhh, it’s ok, it’s alright.” Thomas shushes him and Alastair lets out a choked off sob. He doesn’t deserve Thomas’s kindness, not after everything he’s done.

He looks up at Thomas, craning his neck from where he’s sitting in the bed. “It’s not ok, Thomas! I hurt you, I wish I never did it, you’re so kind you don’t deserve that. You don’t deserve people treating you like that when all you ever do is care.” Alastair turns away as he finishes, he doesn’t want Thomas to see his eye’s welling up.

He closes his eye’s trying to ward off the threatening tears and after a moment he feels a hand reach around and cup his face and Thomas’s hand gently guides Alastair back around to face him.

He keeps his eye’s closed but the hand stays there, thumb now tracing gently back and forth over his cheek.

“It’s ok Alastair, I forgive you. You saved my life and even if you hadn’t I would forgive you, you’re trying. I see you trying to be better. You may have been cruel in the past but you’re not cruel now and you don’t deserve cruelness in turn.”

Alastair opens his eye’s to look up at Thomas finding nothing but truth on his face. Alastair sighs in relief and his shoulders slump slightly. He reaches up to place his hand over Thomas’s. He rests it there for a second before he draws Thomas’s hand away to look at it, the wounds on Thomas’s hand are angry and open and it doesn’t look like they’ve been cleaned.

“Where’s your stele?” Alastair asks lightly.

Thomas pulls the stele out of his back pocket and starts tracing a rune onto his own forearm. Alastair slaps his hand the minute the stele is pressed into the skin, Thomas looks at him, startled.

Alastair gently takes the stele from Thomas’s hand, “Let me.”

Thomas just nods and Alastair starts tracing the lines into Thomas’s skin right below his tattoo, his other hand cupping the back of Thomas’s forearm to keep it steady.

When Alastair has finished the rune, he drops the stele onto the bed before he reaches his hand back up, he slowly traces a finger over it before trailing his finger up to Thomas’s tattoo, circling around the outside of the clock before drawing his finger into the center and brushing against the lines of the rose petals.

“I remember touching here before you got this.” Alastair says softly, not looking up from his tracings. “I’d wanted to touch you all day and then there you were offering your arm out.” Alastair laughs slightly at the memory. “Roses were always my favorite flower, I almost choked when I saw you got one on your arm.” Alastair is smiling softly when he looks up to Thomas, his fingers stilling against Thomas’s skin.

Thomas’s is looking back at and Alastair almost can’t stand to keep looking, he doesn’t know if he’s ever seen anyone look so adoring, so wanting.

“It’s for you.” Thomas says quietly, “the rose, I mean, I got it for you.”

Alastair’s feels his face flush and his gut fill with butterfly’s. He’d never felt that with Charles, Charles never made him feel like he was special or worth wanting but here’s this sweet, caring man saying he got a symbol of Alastair marked on him permanently.

Alastair wraps his hand around Thomas’s forearm tugging at it, Thomas seems to get the message because he leans down. Alastair brings his hand up to cup Thomas’s face in his. Thomas is staring at him and Alastair can’t stand to see the look in his face any longer, the desire and caring there, he uses his hand to urge Thomas towards him, closing his eyes as Thomas moves closer to him.

When their lips meet the butterflies in Alastair’s stomach start going berserk. Alastair moves his lips slowly and softly against Thomas’s, keeping the kiss tender. He smiles against Thomas’s mouth when he hears Thomas quietly whimper against him.

“Later.” Alastair promises, “I might need to rest for a bit now.”

Thomas looks dazed but he’s got the biggest grin that Alastair has ever seen on his face and his eye’s are clear and bright.

Thomas crouches down, bringing himself to Alastair’s level so he doesn’t have to bend in half to reach him and brings his arms carefully around Alastair. He wraps him up lightly, careful not to disturb the wounds on his back.

Alastair reaches out to hug Thomas back, feeling the strong muscles of his back before he brings his hands up to work his fingers through Thomas’s hair.

“Lay with me?” Alastair asks when he feels himself start to get sleepy again, his mind awash with comfort.

Thomas nods against his shoulder, moving onto the bed and wrapping Alastair up in his arms, careful not to hurt him, they fall asleep against each other.

When Brother Zachariah goes to check on Alastair in the morning, Cordelia and James following behind him they find the two men sleeping soundly in each other’s arms.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much to everyone for reading my little story!!  
> I hope you liked it, I wasn’t sure about the ending but hopefully you thought it was ok.  
> I always appreciate any kudos and I love reading any comments that are left.  
> Thanks so much you lovely people <3  
> Please come say hi over on my [Tumblr](https://bri-ghtly.tumblr.com/)
> 
> (Also if anyone is good at writing synopsis's please help me out because I suck at it and any suggestions to improve my terrible synopsis's will be much appreciated)


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